continued...

The prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options depend on the following:

Whether or not the tumor can be removed by surgery.

The stage of the cancer (the size of the tumor and whether the cancer has spread outside the pancreas to nearby tissues or lymph nodes or to other places in the body).

The patient's general health.

Whether the cancer has just been diagnosed or has recurred (come back).

Pancreatic cancer can be controlled only if it is found before it has spread, when it can be completely removed by surgery. If the cancer has spread, palliative treatment can improve the patient's quality of life by controlling the symptoms and complications of this disease.

This information is produced and provided by the National
Cancer
Institute (NCI). The information in this topic may have changed since it was written. For the most current information, contact the National
Cancer
Institute via the Internet web site at http://
cancer
.gov or call 1-800-4-CANCER.

WebMD Public Information from the National Cancer Institute

Last Updated:
September 04, 2014

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor.
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